In recent years, advances in technology, as well as ever-evolving tastes in style, have led to substantial changes in the design of automobiles. One of the changes involves the complexity of the electrical systems within automobiles, particularly alternative fuel vehicles, such as hybrid, battery electric, and fuel cell vehicles. Such alternative fuel vehicles typically use one or more electric motors, perhaps in combination with another actuator, to drive the wheels.
One of the advantages of driving the wheels with the electric motor is generally considered to be that the electric motors are relatively quiet, which provides for a comfortable driving experience. However, this also makes it difficult to hear the automobile to people outside the automobile, such as pedestrians, which may be undesirable in certain situations.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and system for creating a sound (and/or vibration) in an automobile using an electric motor that is also used to provide power to the wheels. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.